Unconditional
by Angelic-Thunder
Summary: And when life took a turn for worse, they finally saw each other better.
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N- Hello Everyone! This is just a random something that used to keep resurfacing on my mind after reading various dasey ffs on similar subjects so I just typed it up and stored it in my PC. Today after aeons I found it lying forgotten in a corner so I thought why not upload it, after all that'd be better than deleting it. But mind you, if anyone expresses their desire for this whatever to be updated I might consider that, else never mind, will try something better. This is undoubtedly not a worthy debut ff and I'm well aware of that, so please be kind to me.**_

 _ **Disclaimer- I do not own Life with Derek (obviously)**_

She's working on her research paper desperately trying to ignore the music blaring from the room next to hers.

Yes, she hasn't yet barged into his room and taken matters into her own hands by simply switching off the stereo herself because -

A) That will elicit another squabble between them for which she neither has time nor is she in the fighting mode currently.

B) She has decided to be more mature now onwards and hence she's trying to remain calm under pressure these days.

Briefly she wonders, what's the difference between high school and university life except the family being two hours away now. He's still his same old annoying self living in the room adjacent to hers, who just loves to rile her up for no reason other than basking in her misery.

When her mother had told her that she'd be sharing an apartment with her stepbrother outside campus, she was both thrilled at the prospect of living on her own (in her own apartment) and also disappointed (superficially) at the prospect of living life with Derek AGAIN (though secretly she felt kind of secured at having him as a roommate instead of someone unknown).

But mostly she was pleased at not having to live in one of those campus dorms and instead living on her own in her own apartment (even if she'd have to share it with certain obnoxious someone). It was like finally FINALLY becoming an adult.

 _That's it. Damn maturity! He needs to learn the concept of headphones. NOW._

She stands up leaving her unfinished work on her desk and barges into his room only to find… nobody? ( _That slacker jerk! Couldn't he have at least the decency of switching off his stereo before leaving? Who is she kidding! Of course not.)_

She switches it off and makes her way towards the living room.  
"Der-ek!"

"Jeez Case! Can't a man even watch hockey in peace without being pounded on by his stepsister?"

"Not when the said man callously leaves his stereo on to make sure that his stepsister can't work in peace." She glares at him with her hands on her hips.

It could have been quite an intimidating stance if she wasn't in her bunny slippers and pink PJs. Derek has to stifle back a laugh before smirking.

"Of course." His attention is back on TV.

"You'll never grow up, now will you?"

"Nope."

She smacks him on his side..

"Ow!" He mock glares at her while rubbing his biceps." Keep your hands off me woman or I'll sue you for domestic violence." And then his full attention is back on TV.

She suddenly feels very tired and so she walks to the kitchen to have some water. She's been working really hard this past week. Tomorrow she has a date with that hockey player (whom she met in one of Derek's games) where she might have to show up with bags under her eyes at the rate she's been exhausting herself. She definitely needs some beauty sleep.

Derek's leaning by her doorway with hands in pockets, admiring her sleeping form. Everyday this past week, whenever he passed her room she was always busy doing something or the other. Today for the first time he found her sleeping soundly. She looks so carefree while she's asleep.

He'd most probably never admit it out aloud that…. he _loves_ her.

Yes he does.

He has never met another person like her. He doesn't know exactly why and precisely when he fell for her ( _so_ _hard_ might he add). He only knows that all of her qualities of which he had always been making fun, in reality he finds incredibly (and annoyingly) endearing. The way she always has to do the right thing, to stand up for what is right in her opinion, to starve for perfection, to become a klutz whenever she's nervous, to not be able to consciously lie convincingly, _everything_ he finds endearing. Not to mention her innocence, her confidence, her altruism. She's always ready to help anyone in need (even him with whom she consistently and _persistently_ fights). As much as he teases her or bickers with her or laughs at her (mostly when her clumsiness resurfaces), he genuinely cares about her and he's _scared_ of the time when they'll have to finally leave each other and move on their own separate ways. Not only because he'll no longer have her around but also because he'll be no longer around to look out for her.

Derek Venturi is deeply in love with Casey McDonald.

But,

He has no plans of admitting his love to her anytime soon and that's _not_ because they're stepsiblings. The point is he wouldn't express his love unless there is any slightest of indications that his f-f-feelings might be reciprocated because he's in no hurry to complicate or completely destroy this pseudo-friendship or whatever it is there between them.

Regardless, he'll love her always.

She's looking at herself in the mirror. Brian will be there any minute. She looks cute in her sky blue shirt and jeans skirt paired with ballet shoes. Her hairs are falling down on her shoulders in waves. Derek is out with his other friends.

The doorbell rings and Brian is standing there.

She's feeling dizzy. Her head is heavy and eyes blurred. He said it was just a punch. Why would he lie?

She's somehow aware that he's dragging her and then he's pushing her down and then he's above her kissing her forcefully. She's pushing him away but he isn't paying any attention to her protests and she's not strong enough. She can feel hot kisses trailing down her jaw line, her neck. Tears are brimming in her eyes. His hands are roaming all over her and she just wants him to stop but he isn't listening. And then there is the sharp pain of violation signifying her _loss._

Derek is at a club. A cute blonde who was flirting outrageously with him a few minutes ago is now grinding against him on the dance floor. He doesn't want to go back home right now (maybe a little later but not just yet). Although he's fairly good at hiding his emotions most of the time, but still it hurts to see her with other guys so he has decided that he'll stay away from home during her date nights.

Suddenly he feels his phone vibrating in his pocket.

" _Derek Venturi?"_

"Yes speaking."

" _You're listed as Casey McDonald's next-of-kin. She's here in Angelic Mercy Hospital. Come as soon as possible_."

The moment he runs inside her hospital room, his eyes fall upon her pale form lying still on the bed. His heart is thumping violently against his chest and his breath is caught in his throat. He could have convinced himself that she's just sleeping even if not as soundly as yesterday except she's hooked up to an IV-thing and there are various pipes and machines and bandages and he wants nothing more than to go back to _their_ home with her right now. He slowly walks towards her and takes her soft hand in his and inhales sharply trying to hold back his tears.

"Mr. Venturi?"

He jerks his head in the direction of the voice to find a middle aged man in white coat.

"W-wha-what happened to her?" Derek asks in a shaky voice.

"She got into an accident. From what the witnesses say, she was pretty much dazed while walking because of which she wasn't paying attention to her surroundings and thus walked straight into the traffic. Also," the doctor pauses staring sympathetically in Casey's direction, "she was raped before that. I'm sorry."

There is a stunned silence for a few moments letting everything sink in and then Derek violently stands up shaking with rage, his fists clenched, sending the chair crashing to the ground with a loud thump. His face is contorted in fury. He runs past the doctor. He can barely hear something along the lines of 'Cops will be here soon to take her statement' before he's out of the hospital.

As soon as he reaches Brian's dorm, he's banging the door loudly all the while growling "BRIAN! BRIAN!"

The door opens revealing a black haired bleary eyed boy whom Derek roughly shoves aside and enters the room and there's nobody. Derek turns back to face the boy. His eyes are frighteningly very dark, face red. His whole body is still shaking with rage. The boy has never seen someone more terrifying in his entire life. Derek backs up the boy against the wall and then lifts him up by his collar (using a part of the strength he has acquired by playing hockey) so his feet are dangling above ground and speaks lowly and dangerously, "Where. Is. Brian?"

"He-he-he said that he was going for a date and then he'll be going out for the weekend. Le..let me go." The boy stutters scared beyond belief.

"Where?" Derek snarls.

"I-I don't know."

After taking a deep breath Derek dumps him unceremoniously to the ground and punches the wall so hard that there are cracks on it and his knuckles are bruised.


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N- Thanks to those who followed, favourited and reviewed my story.**_

He had an extremely strict no-hugging policy against _her._ Whenever she tried to hug him, he'd swiftly back out with his hands up. He didn't have _that_ strict no-hugging policy against others though, like that one time on his sixteenth birthday, when after giving him a surprise party, she was about to inflict her hug upon him (Not that he didn't want her to touch him because what he really wanted couldn't be farther from that but she didn't need to know that so) he _stopped_ her, just shaking her hand but didn't hesitate thereafter from hugging Emily. He remembered the fleeting flash of hurt that had crossed her features then.

However, he'd time and again find an excuse to slide his hands across her shoulders and mostly even if she was annoyed, she'd let him.

She was the type of girl who'd fight for his room, wrestle with him for the remote, but never concede to him. She'd dramatize a sprained ankle just to get back at him. She'd never back out from any of their sparring matches which generally he'd start just to get her riled up.

And the same girl, even though being so much smaller in size, she'd not have a second thought before throwing herself in front of him to _protect_ him from the fridge _._ She'd go crazy during exams making flashcards and whatnot but help him in his studies nonetheless.

To see _that_ girl broken like this was like being pierced by thousands shreds of glass at the same time.

Since, she'd returned from the hospital she was so different, so weaker from earlier that he was finding it very hard to stop himself from going out to hunt down that filthy bastard and cut him into pieces. He needed to control his rage for her. Right now, she was more important than anything else.

He was jolted out of his thoughts by Nora's voice whose hand was on the doorknob, "Derek, I'm going to do some grocery shopping. Take care of her. I'll be back soon."

Their family had come right after he had informed them about the incident. After her condition was stable, whilst the rest of them had returned back to Ontario, Nora had stayed to look after her daughter till she recovered fully.

He entered her room to find her sitting by the window side. She was wearing a long sleeved black sweater and black jeans. Her hairs were cascading down her shoulders. All of her injuries were underneath her clothes except the one on her forehead which was wrapped in a bandage. The distant expression on her face made him want to shake her hard so the sparkle in her eyes would return. He needed to be careful though. He was treading on thin ice. She seemed so breakable at this point that he was afraid, one wrong move and he might lose her completely. _No! I won't let that happen. Not again. This time I'll not allow anything or anyone to hurt her. I'll protect her, no matter what it takes._

"So, what's Space-Case up to today?"

"Go away Derek." her voice was feeble. She was still looking outside through the window.

For once, more than anything, he wanted her to yell at him, threaten him or order him around like she had done which now seemed like a lifetime ago when she had sprained her ankle and pinned the blame on him.

"You know me well enough to know that I'll not listen to you. Come on, we're going out. "He said with finality leaving no room for arguments.

He stood in front of her with his right hand outstretched. She didn't reply but looked him in the eyes, his pleading eyes, then with a slight wince ever so slowly she lifted her own right hand and put it in his. With uttermost care he helped her straighten up and handed her the crutches. He dared not support her unless absolutely necessary because since the incident if anyone so much as brushed her, she'd flinch away violently. The doctor had explained this very clearly to them that she was traumatized and it would take her time to get back to normal. Any kind of unwarranted skin contact would be a reminder of that fateful night for her. The doctor had specifically instructed them to be clear about her consent before touching her for any purpose if they want her to get over the trauma anytime soon.

It was so hard for him to see her like this, to see her limping beside him. He so much wanted to support her, to hold her against him, to hug her, to let her know that he'll be her shield now onwards, that she need not worry about anything because he was there, but he couldn't. Earlier _he_ didn't allow her to come close to him, now _she_ wouldn't allow him. What an irony!

He knew that she was in pain, yet he was making her walk because watching her locked inside a room all day doing nothing but sitting with those vacant eyes was scaring him more than anything.

The mixture of anger and sadness welling up inside him had made him determined and _desperate_ not just to get back the spark in her eyes but also to get a vicious revenge from her violator. Brian would curse the day he messed up someone so precious to Derek Venturi.

Because, what Derek wants, Derek gets.


End file.
